


Turning the Page

by Rebelwerewolf



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Fingering, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Blow Jobs, Christmas Smut, Condoms, Consensual Sex, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Smut, Gift Exchange, Library Sex, M/M, Porn with Feelings, Trapped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-15 21:25:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9257957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rebelwerewolf/pseuds/Rebelwerewolf
Summary: This is my extremely late Very Merry Kylux gift for Aiambia.Prompt:Snow Storm - Kylo and Hux are trapped somewhere during a snow storm and they have to wait it out together. Bonus Points for NSFW.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aiambia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aiambia/gifts).



In retrospect, Hux should not have complained to Dr. Snoke, the regional library director, about the staff shortage at Arkanis Public Library, but he had done so in a moment of desperation. When the previous library manager retired over a year ago, Hux had happily accepted his promotion, but a job requisition never opened up for his old position, leaving the library with only two full-time librarians and three part-time assistants.

Still, they had struggled valiantly until June when Finn, one of the assistants, got married and moved to the big city. The last Hux had heard, Finn was working in the fancy downtown library, a historical landmark that housed rare collections and had recently been renovated to add a second coffee shop. Hux couldn’t really blame the man - Finn had stayed on in his part-time role for over a year after he graduated with his master’s degree in library science, frequently working more hours than he was paid for, and the lack of a full-time position opening up when the library clearly needed one had been the final straw. Besides, the city was a much more diverse environment, one in which a gay black man and his Latino husband would not have warranted a second glance, unlike the gossipy, semi-rural small town that was Arkanis.

So what if Hux had broken down and, in August, during his monthly call with the director, practically begged him to hire on another librarian in Arkanis? He couldn’t keep working into the night, sleeping in his office on occasion, and one time even falling asleep on the floor in the Biography section. He couldn’t keep apologetically thanking Phasma, Thanisson, and Mitaka for working unpaid overtime when, upon seeing Hux harried and overworked, they refused to go home after their shifts. Also, Hux hadn’t taken a day off in over a year and could use a damned vacation.

What he hadn’t expected was for Dr. Snoke to actually fulfill his request. And he certainly hadn’t expected Ben Solo.

Ben had arrived in late October, just prior to Hux’s birthday, and his first impression had been, “What a nice birthday present!” Not only was there now another person to take some of the load of keeping a library running off of Hux’s narrow shoulders, which he definitely did not try to enhance by wearing padded suit jackets, but said person was easy on the eyes. With his muscular build, pouty lips, and dark shiny locks worn in a man bun to emphasize his jawline, Ben’s appearance was more like a model than a librarian, and Hux had been looking forward to seeing him at work every day. But in less than a week, Hux had admitted to himself that his first impression was wrong, and in fact, he would rather have slept in the stacks every night than be saddled with the giant annoyance that was Ben.

They clashed over everything, no matter how insignificant. It seemed that Ben had a chronic inability to keep his opinions, which were always the opposite of Hux’s, to himself. In his first week, he argued against Hux’s list of books to order, calling them “drivel of no literary significance” while Hux was attempting to show him the library’s ordering system. Hux reminded him curtly that this was not the Library of Congress but a local public library, and if the public demanded best-selling fiction, then that was what they ought to provide. Somehow, Ben still managed to sneak two books onto the list that no patron would ever check out: a hefty scholarly volume on the history of meditation and a biography about a Korean War general named Anakin Skywalker.

The second week had brought about a clash over the library’s classification system. Early on in Hux’s career, he had made waves with his decision to scrap the Dewey Decimal System at their small library and replace it with a classification system similar to the one used in bookstores. Over the years, it proved to be a wise choice, increasing both library patronage as measured by books lent and average satisfaction on surveys. He had even given several speeches at industry conferences about the future of libraries in the technological age and been hailed as a fresh-faced rising star.

Ben, though he appeared to be roughly the same age as Hux, was oddly mired in tradition, wanting a return to the old classification system. Hux refused flatly — beyond simply being a bad idea, it would take weeks of reorganization and be extremely confusing for the patrons. Instead of giving a civil response, Ben made an immature comment about Hux’s clothing. “You know,” he had snarled, crowding into Hux’s personal space, “For a guy who dresses like Giles from Buffy, you don’t give a fuck about library tradition.” As Ben stomped away, Hux was left with two conflicting thoughts. One, he hated the man. Two, Ben smelled woodsy, with a hint of cinnamon, and Hux would have loved to smell it again, were it not for thought number one.

That weekend, Hux invited Ben to celebrate his birthday at the local dive bar with the rest of his coworkers. Finn and his husband Poe would be making the two-hour trip in from the city as well. Hux confided to Phasma that he had only asked Ben to join them out of politeness and secretly hoped he wouldn’t show. If Hux was being truly honest with himself, though, he wanted Ben to come, so long as he left his opinions at home. Unfortunately, the beautiful man and his awful personality were part of the same inseparable package.

“Shit.” Poe cursed softly as he glanced toward the door. “My ex is here.”

“What?” said Finn, wrapping an arm protectively around his husband’s shoulders. “I thought you said he lived in Cincinnati.”

“I don’t know. Maybe he’s just visiting Arkanis. Fuck, he’s coming this way. Who talks first? Should I talk first?”

Hux, whose back was to the door, was unaware of the impending disaster until it had arrived at their table, clad in black jeans so tight they looked in danger of splitting and a mesh shirt that clung to a well-muscled torso.

“Ben, what are you doing here?” asked Poe, who had decided to talk first. His usually jovial tone was dripping with venom. Hux swiveled around on his barstool to see Ben standing behind him, so close that they were almost touching.

“Hux invited me,” said Ben, clamping an enormous hand down on Hux’s shoulder.

Hux sensed that something was wrong, but he was determined to plow ahead with false pleasantries. “Ben, this is Finn.” He gestured at Finn, who gave a pained smile. “He used to work at the library. And this is his husband Poe. They got married back in June.” Poe didn’t even bother with a smile; he simply glared daggers at Ben. Hux continued with his introductions, “This is Ben, he’s —”

“My ex-boyfriend,” Poe interrupted.

At the same time, Ben said, “Hux’s date,” and bent down to kiss the top of Hux’s carefully slicked hair. The awkward tension that followed was so thick, it would have required some sort of sci-fi laser sword to cut through it.

Hux was rendered speechless by Ben’s sheer audacity, but luckily, Phasma came to his rescue. “He’s joking,” she said with forced cheerfulness. “Ben works with us. Snoke finally convinced the county to hire a new librarian.” Thanisson nodded vigorously, his eyes darting to Hux as if for validation. Mitaka, who was terrified of confrontation, busied himself with downing his entire pint of beer in a single gulp, not daring to look anywhere other than the bottom of his glass.

Finally finding his voice, Hux stood, bringing him to eye level with Ben, and grabbed him firmly by the arm. “We’ll be at the bar getting the next round,” he informed the table as he led Ben away. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he hissed as soon as they were around the corner.

“I wasn’t expecting to see Poe here,” said Ben, looking down at his hands while wringing them nervously. “He’s… it still hurts,” he admitted, voice cracking a little. “Especially seeing him with…” he cleared his throat softly but did not continue.

_Oh Christ,_ Hux thought. _He better not start getting emotional._ Hux had never been one for emotions, preferring to keep a comfortable distance between himself and others. It worked for him, and despite general societal pity and his mother constantly trying to set him up on dates, Hux was content living alone with his cat Millicent. Phasma was the only one he allowed inside his shields, but they had been friends and coworkers for nearly a decade.

Ben slammed the wall with his open palm, jolting Hux out of his thoughts. Hux brought his hand halfway to Ben’s shoulder before second-guessing his actions. What if Ben turned his anger toward Hux? He wouldn’t be able to defend himself against this mountain of a man, so perhaps the safest course of action was to flee. He had already started backing away slowly when Ben turned to face him, his honey brown eyes shining with wetness and tears streaking down his cheeks.

“Hux,” Ben gasped as he threw both of his arms around Hux and pulled him into a crushing hug. He buried his face in the crook of Hux’s neck and sobbed while Hux stood bewildered, occasionally patting Ben’s back in a way that he hoped was reassuring.

They decided it would be for the best if Ben left. Rather, Hux made the decision and whispered it into Ben’s silky, floral-scented hair, and to his mild surprise, Ben nodded. They walked to the door with Hux supporting Ben around the waist. Any onlooker would have pegged them as a couple, but Hux was so exhausted from his rarely-practiced show of sympathy that he didn’t care; he just needed Ben to leave.

The rest of the night was a blur as Hux drank himself into oblivion to avoid thinking about how angry he was at Ben for ruining his birthday, and, to a lesser extent, the warmth of being wrapped in his arms. Hux assumed that Phasma found him a cab, because he awoke the next morning in his own bed to a hungry Millicent who was meowing loudly and batting urgently at his head.


	2. Chapter 2

If Hux had dared hope that the almost-tender moment at the bar would change Ben’s attitude or their contentious work relationship, he would have been sorely disappointed. The next week saw them disagreeing over the library’s e-book and audio book program, which Hux wanted to expand and Ben argued was a waste of resources. Hux regretted having turned his back to the man. He had meant to walk away, ending the conversation with his dignity intact, but instead he had put himself in a vulnerable position.

“Ah, so the great Emperor Hux shows his true colors,” Ben had hissed, standing directly behind Hux, breath ghosting over Hux’s ear. “Go. Run away. Tattle on me to the director like a coward.”

Hux whirled, both his hands balled into fists as he stared unflinchingly at Ben. “I don’t need to tattle. I’m the library manager, so I’m in charge, and I don’t need you questioning my methods!” He hadn’t meant to shout, but his voice had unintentionally risen in both volume and pitch, resulting in a shrill screech. Hux thought himself a patient man, one who could lead through inspiration and mutual respect rather than fear, but Ben brought out every negative trait in him.

Fortunately, Phasma had heard the argument and intervened before it could escalate further. She glowered down at them through the bottom of her tortoiseshell glasses, her high-heeled pumps in combination with her Amazonian height making her almost an entire head taller than Hux. “I shouldn’t even have to say this to another librarian, but shush! This is a library.” Hux had to slap his hand over his mouth to keep himself from giggling, and Ben let out a quiet chuckle, his dark eyes glittering with amusement. He really was attractive when he wasn’t being a pain in the ass.

As Hux walked away, he could hear Phasma saying, “Seriously, Ben. Stop trying to piss him off.” He smirked, feeling victorious, but his expression would have been completely different had he heard her next sentence. “I know you think he’s cute when he’s mad, but save your flirting for after work.”

Hux blamed himself for the incident during the week of Thanksgiving; he should have known that the man was unstable and unfit for contact with the public. Usually Phasma led community events, but she was finally taking a well-deserved vacation, and Hux, not wanting to disrupt his own schedule, had assigned Ben to lead community movie night in her stead. In the few weeks since Ben’s arrival, he had proved himself to be surprisingly handy, fixing everything from shelves to computers, so setting up a projector to play a DVD should have been an easy task, especially with Mitaka’s help. It wasn’t.

Due to an oversight, the movie they were supposed to show had already been checked out by a patron. Improvising, Ben had grabbed another DVD off the shelf where they displayed new releases. For previous movie nights, they had simply propped the projector up on a stack of books, pointed it at the portable screen, and pressed play. Ben had insisted on mounting the projector to the ceiling to get a better angle, but the angle was not the problem.

The problem was that the DVD that Ben haphazardly chose was Sausage Party, an R-rated movie that, though animated, was not meant for children or, in Hux’s opinion, anyone at all. Once the lewd jokes and the cursing began, Ben was nowhere to be found, and Mitaka was left trying to figure out how to turn off the projector. He tried mashing buttons on the remote before realizing that it had no batteries. Being almost half a foot shorter than Ben, Mitaka was unable to reach the ceiling-mounted projector, despite several attempts at running jumps. He eventually had to drag a table over and stand on it to turn the movie off. All the while, horrified parents were dragging their children out of the library while trying to cover their eyes and ears.

Hux had to issue several personal apologies to offended patrons, as well as endure an angry call from Dr. Snoke, during which Hux had to hold the phone nearly a foot away from his ear to avoid the director’s shouting. He gave poor Mitaka the following day off to recover from the ordeal.

* * *

 

The first week of December and the library fundraiser came and went without incident, thanks to Hux’s careful monitoring of Ben. “Here,” Ben had said during their meeting as he tossed what looked to be a stack of papers down on the table. “The last place I worked sold a pinup calendar, and it was a huge success. We can reuse some of my existing photos, but I’ll need to take pictures of the rest of you.”

Hux felt a blush rising on his cheeks as he turned the photos over one by one. Each was more inappropriate than the last. Ben, his shirt unbuttoned to reveal bulging pecs, chewing seductively on the earpiece of his glasses. Ben, wearing an open robe that showed off his impressive abs, reading on a couch next to a fireplace. Ben, reading on a beach towel, wearing only sunglasses and a minuscule swimsuit.

“We can’t do this,” Hux had said, hoping to sound more authoritative than aroused. “We are a community library, not a… a…” He flailed his hands as he groped for the proper word.

“A gay strip club?” Phasma supplied with a chuckle.

“A fire station?” attempted Thanisson, shooting a meaningful look at Mitaka, who sat silently, his ears a bright shade of red. Thanisson had recently discovered that Mitaka was the embarrassed owner of several firefighter calendars. The rest of the library staff had inadvertently learned that Thanisson was spending a suspicious amount of time studying the wall decorations in Mitaka’s bedroom.

“Look, it was just an idea,” said Ben, throwing up his hands in defeat. “You don’t have to attack me. Jeez!” Thankfully, he didn’t push the issue further, and they moved on to the actual planning of the fundraiser. Ben didn’t asked for his photos back, and Hux didn’t offer.

* * *

 

By far the worst of the “Ben disasters” (for that was what Hux termed them in his head) was the therapy pet session. Once a month, Arkanis Public Library invited children to come and read to a therapy pet in one of their small meeting rooms. It was supposed to be a comforting, non-judgmental environment for them to practice their reading skills with a fluffy friend. When the owner of the scheduled pet, a pit bull mix named Mushroom, canceled the day before, Hux was ready to scrap the event entirely.

“What if,” Ben suggested, resting his head in one of his massive palms, “you brought your cat?”

Hux shook his head. “Millicent’s not a licensed therapy animal.”

“Look, Snoke’s up your ass to meet an events quota for the month, right? Just change the description on the website. It can say ‘Come read to a cat’ or something. Doesn’t need to mention therapy.” God, Ben could be so convincing with his roguish charm. And he was right about the quota. Dr. Snoke had explained to Hux during their monthly call that seeing more successful community events would increase the library’s chances of obtaining extra funding for the new year.

Hux thought for a moment and then sighed. “Fine. She’ll probably just sleep through it anyway.”

Hux had been relieved when Millicent, dressed festively in a jingle bell collar, simply danced away from the grabby little hands of the kids attending the event instead of lashing out with her claws. She was a good listener, too, being used to Hux unloading all of his problems to her each evening. The kids took turns reading aloud from holiday-themed picture books while Millicent stretched, patrolled, or rested. When the event ended, Hux was in a good mood, waving farewell to the departing families and gathering up the scattered books, until he realized that Millicent was no longer in the room.

He raced out of the room, hoping to see a flash of orange fur or hear the gentle tinkling of bells. As he passed the circulation desk, he ran straight into what felt like a wall, bouncing him backward and knocking his glasses to the floor. It wasn’t a wall, of course; it was Ben, who was as solid as masonry and, in Hux’s opinion, far less useful.

“Sorry,” Ben mumbled, bending over to pick up Hux’s frames. Hux was nearly blind without corrective lenses, but, squinting, he could just discern the round curve of Ben’s ass, making his mouth go dry and his mind blank. When Ben returned his glasses to him, Hux wiped them clean and adjusted them slowly while trying to recall why he had been in such a hurry.

Suddenly he remembered. Gripping Ben’s arm, he cried, “It’s Millicent! We’ve lost her!”

Confusion and then alarm passed over Ben’s handsome features. “Oh fuck. Fuck! Did she get outside?”

Hux hadn’t even entertained that possibility. “Search the library!” he shouted as he sprinted for the exit. “Call me if you find her!”

For over an hour, Hux wandered in ever wider circles around the library grounds, yelling Millicent’s name. Having forgotten his coat in his hurry, he was clad only in a thin dress shirt and slacks, all but unprotected against the biting wind and near-freezing December temperatures. He was two blocks away now, jogging both to cover a larger area and to keep himself warm. He was about to duck behind the sushi restaurant and peek in their dumpsters when his phone rang. He fumbled in his pocket, his numb fingers barely able to grip the phone and swipe across the screen.

It was Phasma. “Hux, we found her.”

“Oh my goodness. Oh thank God,” Hux panted, leaning against a sign post to catch his breath. Grateful tears welled in his eyes but were quickly dried by the wind. “Where?”

“She was asleep in your office, curled up on your laptop.”

Hux shook his head and sighed. “Of course she was. I’m heading back. I’ll see you soon.”

When Hux stumbled into his office — tired, disheveled, and cold — Millicent was waiting for him, safely enclosed in her carrier crate. A mug of steaming hot chocolate sat on his desk, a sight so welcome that he almost forgave the fact that it was not on a coaster. Ben Solo, a man he was certainly not ready to forgive, was lounging in his guest chair.

“You!” Hux shouted as soon as the door closed behind him. “This is all your fault!” He pointed one shaky finger in Ben’s face.

Ben looked at Hux’s scowling face, then at the finger, and clasped his own large, warm hand around Hux’s slender, frozen one. Hux went from too cold to too hot in an instant. “Your fingernails were turning purple,” Ben said with a sly smile, motioning for Hux to give him his other hand. Hux complied, because he wasn’t thinking clearly after his terrifying ordeal, and not because he liked how it felt to hold Ben’s hand.

“Bringing Millicent was your idea,” Hux continued softly, his will to fight all but sapped.

Ben nodded, then gazed up at Hux with pleading eyes. His lip trembled slightly as he said, “I’m sorry, Hux. Really, I am. What do I need to do for you to forgive me?” Hux felt an unfamiliar tugging sensation near his heart, which he chalked up to overexertion from earlier.

“My ears are cold,” he whined in a voice that he barely recognized as his own. Ben stood and held his hands to either side of Hux’s head, threading his fingers through Hux’s fiery hair and cupping his ears.

“You’re not forgiven yet, though.”

Ben merely hummed in response.

* * *

 

The next morning, Hux arrived at the library and was puzzled to find it already unlocked. Stepping inside was like stepping through the threshold into a winter wonderland. Tinsel, colorful lights, and paper snowflakes adorned the walls. Fake snow and pine boughs were scattered artfully across the circulation desk, and plastic snowman centerpieces graced each table.

Hux had put up the library’s Christmas decorations in previous years, though in the past few years he had delegated the task to Thanisson and Mitaka because the entire setup took hours. His first thought was that he was late for work, but his phone read 7:30 AM, which was his usual arrival time, an hour and a half before the library opened to the public. “Hello?” he asked the seemingly empty library. “Who’s there?”

Ben stumbled out of the storage room, yawning and stretching his arms above his head. The motion caused his t-shirt hem to rise above his low-slung jeans, revealing a taut, muscular stomach and a trail of dark hair leading downward. Hux subconsciously licked his lips at the sight, quickly caught himself, and stopped, hoping that Ben hadn’t noticed. If he had, he didn’t mention it. “Morning, Hux,” he said groggily.

Hux furrowed his eyebrows. “Ben, how long have you been here? Did you sleep in the storage room?”

“Yeah, took a little nap,” said Ben, nodding sheepishly. “Been here since 4-ish?” He raised a hand to brush back a strand of hair that had escaped from his bun, and that was when Hux noticed the bloody paper towels wrapped around Ben’s hand and the thin trail of blood trickling down his forearm.

“You’re bleeding!” Hux exclaimed.

“Huh?” Ben stared at his hand in confusion. “Oh shit, yeah. I cut myself opening a box.”

“You better not have bled all over my library, you big idiot. Let me see that,” Hux said, not without affection. Unwrapping the bloodied makeshift bandage, he found a long but shallow cut across Ben’s palm. “You should probably go to the hospital.”

“I’m fine,” protested Ben, but he grimaced as he flexed his hand.

“No, you’re not,” said Hux, steering him toward the door. “Get your coat. I’ll drive you.”

That was how Hux had ended up in the emergency room, his hand reassuringly squeezing Ben’s knee as Ben filled out paperwork.

“Hey Hux? Can I put you down as my emergency contact?”

“Sure,” Hux had replied.

“What’s your last name?”

“It’s Hux.”

“Your name is Hux Hux?” Ben smiled as he tried not to laugh. It was a very nice smile, one that accentuated his dimples and made his eyes crinkle at the edges. Hux hoped to see it more often.

After a childhood of petty insults from bullies and would-be class clowns, Hux had been more than glad to use only his last name. “Ah, no. My first name is Armitage, but I swear to God if you ever call me that —” Hux said threateningly.

Ben cut him off. “That’s not so bad. My middle name is Chewbacca, after my dad’s oldest friend.” He paused. “Um, do you mind if I put our relationship as ‘friends’? It seems a little sad to have a coworker as my emergency contact.”

Hux wanted to give Ben a hug, but instead he said, “Not at all. I consider us friends as well.”

“Does that mean you’ll forgive me?”

Hux rolled his eyes. “Considering that I had to drive you to the hospital, and you’ve made both of us miss half a day of work, you’ve still got a ways to go.”


	3. Chapter 3

On the Friday before Christmas, the library was full of an anxious excitement. It was busier than usual due to school vacation, and the staff were all more than ready for their three-day holiday. Additionally, weather forecasts were showing an incoming blizzard with 6” of snowfall between noon and the next morning. Hux was not excited by the prospect of a “white Christmas”. Snow caused a million inconveniences: shoveling, damp boots, digging out cars, impassable roads, having to choose between cold ears and hat hair, and that was just the beginning of the list. The most pressing problem the snow posed for Hux on this particular day would be determining if the library needed to close early.

Hux, Phasma, Ben, Thanisson, and Mitaka gathered in a meeting room for their Secret Santa gift exchange, an annual tradition, at noon. The first fat flakes were just beginning to drift down from the sky as forecasted. The presents sat in a small pile in the middle of the table, each of them labeled with the recipient’s name and “Secret Santa” as the gift giver.

Phasma’s gift was slim and rectangular, neatly wrapped in solid red paper with a matching plaid bow. She hefted it in her hand. “It’s a book, and it’s from Hux.”

Hux feigned ignorance. “How do you know?”

Phasma snorted. “I’m a librarian. I know what a book feels like. And I recognize your prissy handwriting and perfectionist gift wrapping.” She unwrapped her gift eagerly while Hux sputtered about being called prissy. “Ha! Tequila Mockingbird! That’s great!” Phasma laughed as she thumped the table in amusement. “I’ll invite all of you over sometime to try out some recipes.”

Mitaka’s gift could barely even be considered wrapped. It was covered in a few layers of translucent red-and-green cellophane with snowflakes printed on it, bunched up at the top, and tied messily with a ribbon at the top. The gift was clearly visible without the need to unwrap it, but Mitaka did so anyway and cuddled it to his chest. “A stuffed Dalmatian! I love it!” he exclaimed with innocent glee.

“It’s wearing a firefighter hat,” said Thanisson with a raised eyebrow, “because you like firemen so much.” Mitaka turned as red as the toy dog’s hat, buried his face in his new gift, and let out a muffled whine that could have been a “Stop it”.

Ben’s gift was in a blue paper gift bag printed with little menorahs. White and blue tissue paper peeked up from the open top of the bag. He reached in and pulled out an off-white blob that was dwarfed by his giant hand. It was clear to everyone that Mitaka was the gift giver by the way he leaned forward in his seat, eyes glancing from the gift to Ben, beseeching him for approval. “Um,” said Ben, squeezing the object in his hand, “I appreciate your effort at diversity.”

Mitaka babbled without taking a breath, his eyes wide with fear. “You’re Jewish, right? I mean, I was looking at your Facebook page to see what you might like. That’s why I got you the Adipose stress toy, because you listed Doctor Who as one of your favorite TV shows. And I also saw that your mom is Leia Organa, and she’s Jewish, so I figured —”

“Leia Organa?” Hux asked in disbelief. “As in, Senator Leia Organa?”

“Yeah,” said Ben, gritting his teeth. “But people get weird about it, like you’re doing right now, so I don’t go telling people. Besides, you’d have known if you’d accepted my friend request.”

“Hey, that’s unfair,” Hux argued. “I like to keep my personal life and my professional life separate.”

At this, a brief emotion, unreadable to Hux, flickered across Ben’s face before he covered it with a scowl. “Have it your way,” he said, getting up from his seat, the stress toy gripped tightly in one fist. “Someone needs to watch the circulation desk. Merry Christmas, Hux.” He shoved the largest gift on the table toward Hux, then stalked out of the meeting room. Mitaka flinched as if expecting Ben to slam the door behind him, but he closed it quietly, leaving the rest of the library staff sitting in stunned silence.

“Aren’t you going to open it?” Phasma ventured after a few moments.

“No,” Hux replied, too quickly. “Thanisson, open yours, and we can all get back to work.”

Thanisson’s gift was a finger drum set that, by process of elimination, was from Phasma. He thanked her and gave it a few half-hearted taps before returning it to the box. Hux felt bad that the moment had been ruined — it was actually a very thoughtful gift since Thanisson was the drummer for an indie rock band. But that was what Ben did. He ruined things. Because he was a ruiner.

Before long, the snow started coming down in sheets, turning the outside world into a post-apocalyptic icy wasteland. It was obvious that the library was going to have to close early. He sent Phasma, Thanisson, and Mitaka home with cheerful holiday wishes and exhortations to drive carefully. He hadn’t seen Ben since the latest disaster at the Secret Santa swap, and frankly, Hux was still too upset with him to go looking. He concentrated instead on the tasks necessary to close up the library: checking the book drop boxes for returns, shutting off the computers, turning off the lights, and emptying the trash.

Hux hadn’t realized just how much the snow had piled up until he tried to open the back door and found it blocked by a snow drift as tall as his knee. Backing up, he slammed into it with his shoulder, but it didn’t work like he’d seen on TV. “Ow!” he exclaimed with a grimace, rubbing his arm. The door was still stuck, little flurries of snow floating through the crack.

“Need help?” The deep voice behind Hux made him jump and clap his hand to his mouth to suppress a yelp. Ben was standing a couple of feet away, laughing. “I didn’t know you were such a scaredy-cat.”

“I’m not. You sneaked up on me,” Hux huffed. “What are you still doing here?”

“I… work… here,” Ben said slowly, cocking his head, as if reading aloud to a child trying to follow along. “I came to check the breaker panel because the lights went out.”

“I turned them off. We closed early because of the storm. You should have — Ah shit.” Hux smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand. When he pulled his arm away to give himself a second smack, he found his wrist caught in Ben’s grasp.

“Whoa,” said Ben, effortlessly gripping Hux’s arm. “What are you talking about?”

“I sent everyone home, but you had, you know…” Hux made a vague circular motion with his free hand and trailed off. “Well, since you’re here, help me get this door open, and we can both go home.”

Though Ben was barely taller than Hux, he outweighed Hux by at least 50 pounds of solid muscle. Grunting, he kicked the door once, twice, and then it was open wide enough for both men to slide through. Their eyes widened as they looked upon the snowy dunes of the parking lot. The snow fell so thickly and swirled so quickly that visibility was almost nil beyond an arm’s length.

“I don’t know about you,” said Hux, “but I’m going to wait this one out. Hopefully it won’t be too long.”

“Yeah, good idea,” Ben murmured, his eyes flickering across the snowscape.

Once inside again, Hux noticed that Ben was only wearing his customary t-shirt and jeans. “Aren’t you cold?” he asked as his eyes fell to Ben’s peaked nipples, clearly visible under the thin cloth.

“Fucking freezing,” Ben agreed. “My coat’s in my office. Like I said, I was just checking the breaker.” He flipped the switch, and the lights inside the library flickered back to life.

“Here,” said Hux, removing his heavy wool coat and wrapping it around Ben’s broad shoulders. His arm lingered around Ben, steering him toward the staff offices. “Since it’s my fault you’re snowed in, I might as well make sure you don’t get frostbite.”

“Thanks,” Ben murmured, and they walked in companionable silence past the public computers, the new books display, and the circulation desk until they reached Hux’s office.

“Well, this is me.” Hux gave a half-hearted laugh at his own joke as he reached for the doorknob, but Ben seemed to genuinely appreciate it by the way his eyes sparkled. “I have some work to catch up on anyway. Might as well make the best of our time here.”

“Might as well,” Ben echoed darkly, crowding Hux against the door. He leaned in so his nose was mere centimeters from Hux’s face. “Can I kiss you?”

Hux swallowed. Ben had never seemed so young and vulnerable — his lips parted in invitation, his eyes wide and beseeching, a stray lock of hair falling across his face. “Not if I kiss you first.” He closed the distance between them and learned that Ben’s lips were as soft as they looked.

They fumbled their way into Hux’s office, a mess of clutching arms and sloppy kisses. Hux’s coat slipped off of Ben’s shoulders and fell to the floor, but Hux didn’t bother stopping to pick it up. As Hux propped himself on the edge of his desk with Ben practically crawling into his lap, he bumped up against Ben’s gift.

“You should unwrap that,” Ben said between kisses.

“I’d rather unwrap you,” Hux quipped, lifting Ben’s t-shirt. Ben grinned and stopped peppering Hux with kisses for long enough to remove his shirt. “Jeezus!” Hux exclaimed, reverently tracing Ben’s abs. “You’re shredded! I thought you Photoshopped those pictures.”

Ben’s smile was so wide it threatened to split his face in half. He made a show of flexing his biceps and pecs, and Hux nearly drooled on himself. “Like what you see?” Ben asked impishly.

“It’s tolerable,” Hux said, pretending to be nonchalant and failing because he was being straddled by a half-naked man — no, not just any half-naked man, but _Ben_ , his frenemy-turned-crush-turned-whatever-this-was. “Don’t want you getting too full of yourself.”

“No,” agreed Ben as he mouthed his way down Hux’s neck, opening the buttons of Hux’s shirt for access to more pale, freckled skin. “I’d much rather be full of you. Now open the gift.” Though the box was large, Ben was able to grasp it one-handed. He stepped back and plopped it into Hux’s lap gently, mindful of Hux’s obvious erection.

Hux cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. “What’s in the box?”

Ben only smirked and waited for Hux to unwrap his present. The wrapping paper was plain brown butcher paper patterned with gold ink that, upon further inspection, depicted cats and paws. Hux carefully removed the paper without tearing it and set it aside to open the box, an Amazon box that Ben admitted to reusing. Inside were a six-pack of pumpkin beer, a plastic container of gingerbread cookies, and a smaller cardboard carton marked “Pumpkin Spice”.

“Ha ha, Ben. Very funny,” Hux said drily. “I have orange hair. Can we go back to making out now?”

“Okay, I love your hair.” Ignoring Hux’s tiny grunt of protest, Ben ruffled Hux’s hair with one hand, breaking up the pomade and allowing the strands to flop messily. “Also,” he said, reaching into the box and pulling out the cardboard carton, “I was hoping you’d give me another chance to apologize properly.”

Hux re-read the words on the carton. “Pumpkin Spice Flavored Condoms.” He made a little choking noise, half due to the absurdity of the product — this was taking pumpkin spice flavoring too far, and half due to his cock twitching in his pants. Hux wet his lips with his tongue and let out a breathy “oh God, yes” before Ben’s mouth was on his again.

If there was a world record for unbuckling one’s belt and dropping one’s pants and underwear, Hux would certainly not have broken it. His fingers were trembling too much, and he kept reaching out to caress Ben’s powerfully-built and very distracting body. But eventually, his khakis and briefs were pooled around his ankles, and Ben was slipping a pumpkin spice flavored condom onto Hux’s length.

“Oh, for crying out loud,” Hux complained. “Orange? Why is the condom or—” The end of his sentence was cut off by a moan as he felt Ben’s warm mouth suckling at the tip of his cock.

“Mmm, pumpkin spice.” Ben slurped noisily as he bobbed his head, taking in as much of Hux as he could. One hand tenderly massaged at Hux’s balls while the other groped at Hux’s tiny ass.

“Do you mind if I…” Hux trailed off as he gripped Ben by his hair and thrust hesitantly.

Ben pulled off of Hux’s cock with an obscenely wet pop. His lips were shiny with spit, and his pupils were blown wide with arousal. “Use me,” he taunted. “I know you hate my big mouth.”

Hux accepted the challenge and thrust deeply, feeling Ben’s throat tighten around the head of his cock as Ben’s gag reflex was triggered. “Not like this, I don’t.” Ben didn’t seem to mind, enthusiastically allowing himself to be guided so his nose nestled in Hux’s ginger pubic hair and hollowing his cheeks and running his tongue along the underside of Hux’s length when Hux pulled back.

It had either been way too long, or Ben was very skilled, because in no time at all, Hux felt himself tense as he approached climax. He closed his eyes and threw his head back, moaning passionately. His focus narrowed to Ben’s slick mouth around his cock and his hands fisted in Ben’s dark hair. Hux was pushed over the edge by the sharp impact of Ben’s stinging smack on his left ass cheek. He cried out in ecstasy, emptying his load into the condom. As his orgasm subsided, Hux leaned back against his desk, panting for breath and not trusting his wobbling legs to hold him up.  
  
Groggily, he opened his eyes to take in the sight of the beautiful man on his knees before him. It made Hux wish he had kept his eyes open the entire time. Ben’s hair was in disarray; most of it had come loose from his hair tie and framed his face in silken waves. At some point, Ben had unbuttoned his skintight jeans. He looked desperate for his own release, pinching one pink nipple between his fingers, muscles rippling as he pumped his cock.

“Here, let me help,” said Hux as soon as his voice returned. He quickly stripped the condom off his softening length and tossed it in the trash. “Lie down.”

When Ben obliged without complaint, Hux helped him wriggle the rest of the way out of his jeans, which required Ben to remove his black high-top sneakers as well. Hux wanted to taste every inch of the man deliciously laid out before him. He tongued at a nipple before sucking on it, eliciting a loud moan from Ben. Hux worked his way down Ben’s torso, alternating between kissing and biting. He gave the same treatment to Ben’s thick thighs, leaving a line of hickeys that he laved thoroughly with his tongue.

Ben was a mewling mess by the time Hux swatted his hand away from his cock. Hux’s spit-slicked fingers stroked up and down Ben’s length nimbly. Tentatively, he pressed a single digit of his other hand to Ben’s puckered hole, rubbing in circles around his rim. “Ben, can I finger you?”

Ben moaned and writhed in reply.

“Ben,” Hux repeated. “Yes or no?”

“Yes,” Ben whimpered. “Please.”

Hearing Ben’s small, wrecked voice begging him to continue shot straight to Hux’s cock, which gave a valiant quiver, but ultimately it was too soon after Hux’s orgasm for him to regain hardness. Hux sank a wet finger into Ben’s warm, tight body, feeling Ben open up for him. He fucked Ben shallowly, listening to his groans increase in volume. Ben was so wonderfully loud, shameless, and Hux felt a swelling of pride knowing that he had brought Ben to this point.

Ben arched his back, thrusting against Hux’s hand, while simultaneously trying to fuck up into Hux’s fist. Soon Hux was in to the second knuckle, the tip of his finger caressing Ben’s prostate. “Hux…” Ben sighed. “Hux… I’m—”  
  
He never finished his sentence, but Hux deciphered the meaning easily enough as Ben cried out sharply, his cock spasming and shooting come over his stomach and chest. Ben was a sight to behold — inky hair spilling around his head, muscles tensing, luscious mouth slack with euphoria. Hux stroked him through his orgasm, then grabbed the tissue box on his desk to clean up.

Hux was not normally a cuddler, but then again, he was also not normally the type of man who had sex with coworkers in his office. Ben, it seemed, was the exception to everything. So they cuddled in post-coital bliss, Ben on his back, murmuring apologies, compliments, and fangless insults alike in Hux’s ear, and Hux with one arm slung across Ben’s broad chest, occasionally pressing kisses to the side of Ben’s face.

“I wonder whether it’s still snowing,” Hux mused, sleepily tracing Ben’s nipple with a finger.

“Oh shit!” Ben exclaimed, jolting upright and dislodging a startled Hux. “I’ve gotta get to work!” He started pulling on his clothing, which had been strewn across the floor.

“Ben, you _are_ at work. The term ‘mind-blowing sex’ isn’t supposed to be literal.”

“I meant my other job. I’m a snowplow driver.”

Hux leapt to his feet and pointed an accusing finger at Ben, though the effect was somewhat diminished by being naked from the waist down. “What the fuck, Ben? You mean we were never trapped here? You could have plowed us out!”

“Yeah,” said Ben with a lascivious wink, “but don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy the plowing we did here.” He gave Hux’s bare ass a playful swat.

Hux exhaled in annoyance as he leaned down to retrieve his underwear and pants. “You know, I have lube and a bed at my house.”

“It’s a date, then. How about tomorrow?” Ben asked with a smirk. “Oh wait, I forgot. You like to keep your personal and professional life separate. How’s that working for you?”

“Fuck you, Ben,” Hux said reflexively, immediately regretting his choice of words.

“Tomorrow,” quipped Ben. He gave Hux a peck on the cheek and sauntered out of his office without looking back, shaking his hair loose and tying it back into a bun.

After Hux finished making himself look presentable (though his hair was beyond rescue), he brought up Facebook on his phone and accepted Ben’s friend request. He was perusing Ben’s timeline, which was full of messages from family members asking whether he planned to attend holiday gatherings, when he received another request. A relationship request from Ben.

“What the hell,” Hux muttered to himself. “It’s Christmas.” He pressed 'Accept'.


End file.
